Month: December 2013

My father is fond of saying that the problem with human society is that we were born without an operating manual.

Clever I thought. Once. But thinking more carefully, I realize it’s actually not true at all.

We have endless advice passed down through tradition and testament and even tablet that lays out pretty unequivocally how we should live. And it’s surprisingly consistent. From Buddhism to Chirstianity, Confucius to Mohammed, the great mandate has always been to do unto others what you would have them do unto you.

So that’s out there, and it shows up again and again in social conventions and cultural upbringing and even on fridge magnets and coffee mugs. Constitutions and declarations and proclamations for centuries have laid it all out. This is not the problem, Dad. Our problem is that we don’t want to follow it. Yes, it’s an obedience thing. When confronted with what we should do, we human beings like to say, “Oh yeah? Who says so?”

Defiance to the truth then … this is deep, isn’t it. And it deep inside us all.

I published this wonderful radio program last December, but felt it deserved another airing. Hope you enjoy another reminder of the need to honour the Christmas spirit.

Another Christmas period, and all that that brings. The packed parking lots, the festive yuletide happy hours, cooking – and eating – the fatted calf.

And maybe, in a quiet, reflective moment, a spark of Christmas spirit will catch flame inside you and for a few seconds or moments or, if you’re lucky, hours, you’ll feel a deep sense of piece and connection with your fellow man and the universe that you recognize as the Christmas spirit.

Those tantalizing moments are tragically short-lived. Some complain that they don’t like this time of year because we should have this spirit all round. “It’s fake and phony,” they say. But it doesn’t feel that way to any who are still enough to allow themselves to receive the grace and depth of that spirit. The Holy Spirit we can call it, and we should take time to remember that this time of year is for honouring that divine presence. Yes, Christmas, of all times, is time to remember that.